


time left to be lazy

by hypersomnic



Series: art kids [6]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 01:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21519487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypersomnic/pseuds/hypersomnic
Summary: [art kids au]she offered. he'd never have thought to ask.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Series: art kids [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/977451
Kudos: 35





	time left to be lazy

"I wish we had a garden," she yawns, and Cloud peeks around the edge of his canvas at her, eyebrows furrowing as she moves, raising her arms over her head in a stretch.

He hums in reply - distracted by the way the late afternoon sun plays in her hair, the sliver of skin now exposed at her hip where her shirt rucked up, the way her feet are hooked behind the rungs of the stool, how his mouth is dry - and retreats back behind his canvas. She's not wearing much: boy-shorts and one of Cloud's white t-shirts, oversized but she's not drowning in it. Her hair is down, barely hanging past the seat of her stool. If he's not careful he spends more time staring at her than looking at what he's trying to create.

He used to paint her from memory and mentally-cobbled together fragments of detail gathered from Facebook photos, but now she sits for him. She offered. He'd never have thought to ask. He knows it's incredibly boring, knows her muscles must ache from holding herself still, but she insists every time, even as she wiggles and whines about how hard the stool is. Why is it never the couch? Why is it never the armchair?

It's getting dark, slowly, but already everything is getting muddled in shadow. He's been working on this portrait on and off for three weeks. It's a personal project, so it takes a backseat to the other pieces in the works for his program. Even when she's not perched on the stool he sits in this same spot around the same time of day and paints the light in the curtains on one side, the reflections from the window on the floor. He has reference photos - many, actually, at Zack's insistence - but it's not the same. She doesn't shoot him furtive glances in the photos, doesn't try to distract him by wiggling her toes. He'll paint until she decides she's done, and gets up off her stool.

He can tell she's fighting the urge to roll her shoulders, can tell they're just a few breaths from being done for the day when he hears the front door open and shut, heavy footsteps in the hall. Aerith straightens suddenly, resuming the pose she'd mostly slumped out of. Cloud can tell from behind his canvas that she's almost holding her breath; her toes are pointed, her hands rest delicately in her lap, palms up. He has already put his brush down.

Zack whistles low when he steps into the room, and Aerith giggles quietly in reply. Cloud has goosebumps. He steels himself for the touch that he knows is coming, that he wants, that still makes him start in surprise some days. Zack stands behind him for a moment, appraising Cloud's canvas, before touching a hand to Cloud's thigh, resting his other hand on Cloud's shoulder. The room is quiet except for Cloud's heart in his ears. He strains to catch Aerith's eyes over the top of his canvas, but can't. Zack's breath is warm against his ear and Cloud shivers as Zack presses a kiss to his cheek, and another to his neck.

"Look at that," he can hear the grin in Zack's voice, and the hand on Cloud's shoulder slides over to massage the back of his neck. Cloud relaxes back into him, letting his head tip back against Zack's stomach. They can both hear the squeak of the stool as Aerith shifts restlessly - Cloud smiles, he's sure Zack wants to laugh.

He kisses Cloud instead, mouth soft, and whispers "amazing" against Cloud's lips. Cloud goes red, huffs a laugh to calm the butterflies in his stomach. It's when Zack presses a purposefully, obnoxiously, loud smooch to Cloud's cheek that Aerith finally breaks.

"Zack Fair, if you're not over here in five seconds you're sleeping on the couch tonight!" Aerith's kneeling on her stool now, given just enough height to be barely watching them over the top of his canvas, smiling despite her threat. As Zack raises his hands in a gesture of mea culpa, Cloud stands and starts to clean up, sorting quietly through his brushes. He's spent all day with her, and they were almost done anyway. It's not an interruption.

She holds a hand out to Zack, waiting for a kiss, but he pulls her bodily towards him instead, easily holding her up against him. She laughs in delight, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"The muse! My darling, I'm so sorry, how could I keep you waiting?" Zack laughs with her, his accent exaggerated for her, and jostles her a little in his arms, "Absolutely none of this would be possible without you! You're the air we breathe, the most beautiful woman in the world."

She kisses Zack's face, his lips, her arms around his neck. "That's much better, thank you."

Her eyes cheat over back towards Cloud and she catches him watching, watches him caught as he blushes furiously and ducks his head. There's the clatter and splash of paint brushes in a plastic cup. He's still so shy. She's so charmed. She looks up to see Zack watching her and she smiles at him, leaning up to kiss him again as he grins back.

"We're going out tonight!" she declares, sitting up in Zack's arms, "Yes, all three of us! It's been ages since we've been out together and it's still warm out."

Cloud clears his throat but she interrupts him, "We worked so hard today, Cloud, Zack's treat."

"Hey, now!" Zack starts, but she cuts him off with another kiss, and he laughs, acquiesces, "Alright, alright, my treat."

\--

As they're walking down the street after dinner, almost at the exact same moment, Zack wraps his arm around Cloud's shoulders as Aerith reaches out to hold Cloud's hand on his free side. Cloud bites down on his tongue to fight back the smile that is almost inevitable, given time. Zack whistles around the toothpick between his teeth as they walk, something made up, and Aerith hums along.

"You know," she starts, out of the blue, giving Cloud's hand a squeeze, "this summer, when we're all off from school, you should paint the two of us, Cloud. Zack and I." She's not looking at Cloud, but over the top of his head at Zack. Cloud misses the way Zack winks back at her, but catches the way he chuckles, warm.

"That'd be pretty cool," Zack supplies, voice trailing off, "If Cloud's cool with it. One person seems hard, two people looks real involved."

Cloud is quiet, knowing he's being lured in but not feeling suspicious in the least. He shrugs, "It's not that different. It's just more paint."

They slow on the sidewalk and Aerith pulls Cloud away from Zack's side, taking both of his hands in hers and wrapping his arms around her waist. Her eyes are almost black in the night, and it's only when a car drives by on the road that he sees a flash of that deep green. Feeling confident, he leans down to kiss her (she makes him feel good, she makes him feel loved, she makes him feel brave) and Zack whistles, low. He can feel Zack warm against his back, feel how Aerith smiles against his mouth when Zack wrap an arm around Cloud's middle.

"It'd be nice," she whispers, hands fisted in Cloud's shirt, "spending time together. Just the three of us."

Behind him, Cloud feels more than hears Zack agree.

Cloud can't say no to them. He’s in love and he’s terrified of it and he can’t say no.

He chews his lip, nods, "Yeah, we can do that." Aerith squeals in glee.

"You'll see!" she exclaims, reaching past Cloud's shoulder to poke at Zack's cheek, "Maybe Zack will finally learn something about art."

Zack ducks his head to nose behind Cloud's ear, pecking his jaw. "Hey! What is this? 'Bully Zack' night? I know about art!"

Cloud snorts, and Aerith laughs, "Oh yeah? What's the difference between Monet and Manet?"

"You got me!" Zack throws his hands up in surrender and steps away from them grinning, "But I've got the car keys, and I bet you can't catch me."

He takes off running down the sidewalk and it takes Aerith a few seconds to kick off her heels before she's chasing after him, laughing and shouting for him to slow down. Cloud picks up her shoes and tucks them under his arm and watches them run, watches Aerith catch up with Zack only for him to pick her up and spin her around. They're both laughing, they kiss.

Cloud will never get used to this feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> eurgh. sorry, nerves.
> 
> just a heads up, nothing i post will ever be in chronological order.


End file.
